Friend came in from out of town. Since they were staying on that side of town we chose a place close by for a late dinner and talk. Sat at a table near the bar in a not so crowded atmosphere. We each got something to drink and then dinner. One of the specials was a beef stew in a bread bowl. I asked if I could get the meal without the bread bowl and they happily accommodated. I actually thought this was pretty good. You don't get a lot of contents such as meat, potatoes, or vegetables, but the gravy was good and the meal was decent. The waitress was kind enough to ask if I wanted mashed potatoes because I didn't get the bread bowl. Pass. Nothing comes with the dinner so I ordered a side salad. The salad was almost a meal in itself. Plenty of fresh crunchy vegetables including olives and tomatoes. Though I asked for no croutons I got them anyway. Sprinkled some creamy Italian and crumbly blue cheese on top for a perfect finish. read more

The Retreat - side Tossed Chef Salad - Sports Bars Near Me - Liverpool, New York

Came in for a couple shots while in town. BFs buddy's dad is a regular here so had to check it out. Cute spot. Older crowd. Most seemed friendly. Someone even bought us a shot. Thank you sir! read more

It's been years since I've been in Liverpool and I was happy to see The Retreat is still where it's suppose to be and that it's a great place to enjoy a meal and a drink with family or friends or strangers. Great selection on the menu. The patio is a great place (when the weather is right) and the service is top notch. Great beer selection. Be sure to take an old fashioned selfie in the phone booth on your way out the door. read more

The Retreat - Sports Bars Near Me - Liverpool, New York

Great place to eat and have fun The setting is very comfortable The service is tremendous Really enjoy sitting outside read more

My brother in law, a long time patron of The Retreat, passed away. Hodgie was how everyone knew him. After his memorial service, we gathered at The Retreat after in honor of him. Not only did they heard and knew of his passing, they didn't know we were showing up to honor his memory at the place he loved. They gave us a round of shots and a few free appetizers. Our family then enjoyed a wonderful dinner. To the owners and staff who served us, THANK YOU!!! read more

Well- I want to like this place, but it's difficult to. Here is why- the first time we went over a year ago the hostess was RUDE AF- turned out she was a manager. Second time we went was with our family- it was decent, we were sat promptly and the kitchen made a plate of poutine for our 6 year old nephew who wanted it really badly. Food was meh- but it was an ok visit. Recent visit we arrive for dinner and I become aware that there are three separate dining areas with three seperate requirements for seating- inside middle dining area was "seat yourself" dining area to the right (which I was told was upper scale of some sort though I don't believe it) was "seating by host" and outdoor dining was "seating by host". Now- there are three separate host stands and you have to walk through one of the dining rooms to get to the one that is for outside seating! Are you tired yet because I was as I sat down and proclaimed "never again". We were promptly attended to by our server which was nice. I ordered a Philly cheesesteak which the establishment proclaims to be amazing- kids ordered the usual pasta, poutine, cheeseburger. The portions for the children were enormous. Not sure a 6 year old could even make a dent into the past that would be noticeable- kind of a waste of food. My cheesesteak was awful- I mean dreadful- when you can easily close the bun that means there isn't much meat- it was mostly cheese, onions and mayo- not much else. Fries were ok- but not the amazing cheesesteak I had hoped for. I am becoming more and more aware that local haunts are generally accepted by the locals because their palates have become accustomed to whatever is being served. And year over year there are traditional hang outs that are "known" for whatever signature dishes the locals tastes have grown accustomed to. That said- an outsider is a totally different person to impress and when pub food offerings are plentiful in an area like upstate NY, the level of different takes on dishes are easy to compare- HomeTeam Pub is by far the winner for us on so many levels- the food is simply amazing and not too far down the road from the Retreat and the seating requirements are simple! Plus the wings are second to none!! I think I shall "retreat" from The Retreat!! read more

The Retreat is one of my Liverpool go-to restaurants because of their broad menu. Service was slow for a Tuesday dinner but overall delicious. It is easy to find something to like on their menu. I do love the vibes and outdoor seating in the warmer months read more

The Retreat - Baked French Onion Soup - Sports Bars Near Me - Liverpool, New York

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Please stop charging extra for fries. Also add boom boom boneless wings to the menu full time! :) Such a great time every visit! read more

We've been here before however this time we decided we won't be back. The meals are ala carte with ridiculous prices. We ordered from the menu: Reuben, chicken quesadilla, burger, and the Selena wrap ($13.00) each with 2 ($3.50 each)sodas. Additionally we ordered onion rings ($4.75) & ($3.50) fries. I get times are expensive but 3.50 for a soda and 4.75 for the rings and 3.50 for the fries both of which came in small bowls is ridiculous. For less than $3.50 you can buy a 5 pound bag of potatoes at Wegmans. The food was OK However, the prices were way out of line for what we received. Everywhere else where we go the meals come with fries or chips or something. We didn't even get a pickle. We won't be back. read more

The Retreat - Is this worth $3.50? I don't think so. - Sports Bars Near Me - Liverpool, New York

This is two separate visits from this week one on Sunday with friends, and the other on Tuesday evening that was my birthday. Service was prompt and courteous on Sunday. We shared Nachos with chicken and Spinach dip, the nachos were good portion of fresh lettuce, tomato, salsa, cheese, and plenty of chicken instead of ground beef, I should have added their guacamole as well! Spinach dip was warm and cheesy, comfort food. I ordered the Caramel Apple Moscow Mule, I highly recommend ordering this cocktail before the menu changes! Wow the aroma alone is the essence of all of Fall in a cozy mule, it is actually chilled and tastes as delightful as it smells! Another great visit and brought several friends to meet up with. Tuesday evening went early after visiting the Cobblestone. Being a holiday week it was extremely busy, but we were able to get drinks. I tried the Autumn Spritzer this visit which is light and refreshing with Fall tastes of apple, cranberry, and cinnamon, loved this cocktail as well! I can't wait to see the Holiday cocktail menu! My fiancé ordered me the Seafood Neptune for my birthday dinner. Unfortunately I realized immediately that that was the wrong dish, and way too much pasta! I immediately tried to change order but the only server was bogged down with credit card issues, and by the time she was able to address the situation I was told an order change could not be accommodated. That was very disappointing being a special occasion and wanted something special. I paid for the meal and true to word did not eat any of it, I was looking for seafood not an entire plate of pasta. Disappointed, and could have easily been reconciled. But as always loved the ambiance and holiday decor, lively festive atmosphere! read more

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The Retreat is a Liverpool Mainstay we heard near the lake and we figured we would give it a shot. Place was busy with a seat yourself sign which tells me that they are popular. Our Server came quickly and was attentive overall. I got the Mexican Street Corn chicken wrap with beef barley soup and She got a tossed salad with a crock of French onion soup. The beef Marley was flavorful with actual beef tips and the wrap was filling but the street corn taste was a little bland. She said the salad was ok but the soup was really good with a lot of flavor and more onions than average but in a good way. We would definetly go back to try other things. read more

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Love going there in the summer and when the emu have entertainment. Different food - interesting- and not boring. Great atmosphere.

This is a really wonderful all-ages restaurant! There are a lot of large TVs with various sports on. The menu is large and has something for everyone. The street corn wrap was super yummy, and I loved that it came with pickles! The servers were prompt and very kind. I'm looking forward to coming back! read more

The Retreat - Sports Bars Near Me - Liverpool, New York

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We wanted to enjoy an outdoor lunch, and knew that the patio was shaded. We did get a table quickly this time, but it was right next to the patio bar which was blasting 80s hard rock, and made for an annoying experience. Regardless, the real issue was that there simply weren't enough servers working. Between the inside customers and the entire patio, I only counted four servers for nearly 100 people. It took a good 10 minutes to get menus, and then another 15 to get our drinks. We then ordered two sandwiches, which took another 40 minutes. By that time our drinks were gone, so were ordered a second round, which this time took 20 minutes to arrive. By the time we got the bill, we had been there for 2 hours. Luckily we were not in a hurry, and our server although clearly overworked, was very friendly and did all that he could to manage such an overwhelming crowd. We then slipped across the street to listen to the Liverpool Community Band playing in Johnson Park. read more

I haven't been here in years and, based on the crowds I always see, expected hem to have upped their game. Sadly they have not. THe positives: they serve food late, so arriving on a Saturday at 8:30 pm was not a problem; the server was excellent despite having lots of tables; and the onion soup was very good. The restaurant itself is dated and could use a refresh ( we sat indoors); the floor is carpeted which doesn't add to the cleanliness; the food is meh. I ordered a special...Mediterranean tuna steak. The tuna was generously covered with olives, tomatoes and capers...a little too much flavor. Strangely, it was served with a Mexican type rice dish with corn and black beans. Weird. read more

The Retreat - Specials - Sports Bars Near Me - Liverpool, New York

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10/10 - we sat outside. Joe was our waiter and he was the best waiter we have had in a long time. He was attentive yet quietly polite. Love this place. Great cocktails and great food. read more

Have been to The Retreat many times over the years. In the summer, it has the outside patio and bar with lively music. Inside there are three main dining rooms and a central bar, some high-walled booths and plenty of tables too. I have never had a problem with food or service here. The menu includes excellent burgers, chicken quesadilla, a delish reuben, and John's Revenge - the best pastrami sandwich in Central New York. It is one of the few restaurants that decorates well for Christmas with white lights throughout the place. Entree prices are very reasonable and beer & wine prices are also very competitive. read more

For the third time in recent months, tried to call in an order only to get a recording stating that they weren't taking messages. Sad because we had a good sized order (love their Liverpool Ribeye among other things) and were looking forward to their food. Oh well...their loss as we'll patronize a more customer focused and nice restaurant. read more

One improvement: when I phoned on a Tuesday evening at 5:30 and asked if a party of 5 adults and 2 children needed a reservation, the employee who answered the phone said No. When we arrived at The Retreat at 6 pm, all tables were occupied. We had to wait 30 minutes for a table and the dinner service took extra time. It appeared not enough wait staff were on hand. The cuisine and ambience were very good. But reservations are necessary in the summer even on a Tuesday evening. read more

I really enjoy going to the Retreat. Chef Tod comes on at 5pm he is an excellent Chef. I usually get an appetizer called the Stinger Melt Mmm. Then I like a crock of Onion soup. The Chicken Riggies here are premo. The atmosphere is very quiet in the dining room. Very professional. I would highly recommend. read more

The Retreat - The entrance to the Retreat - Sports Bars Near Me - Liverpool, New York

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Out waitress was asked by my mother if the spaghetti was thin or regular and was told regular. When the meal came out the pasta was clearly linguine... I'm shocked the waitress did not know this. The meal was excellent otherwise just kind of a funny moment when I told her and she looked at me like she already knew exactly what I meant with that deer in the headlights look. read more

This is a follow up to the review I wrote a couple days ago on Monday about the retreat. The good news is the owner called me back and apologized and said that those type of circumstances shouldn't happen, she sounded very nice and we chatted for a few minutes and I'm going to try to go back and have a different experience with the retreat. I appreciate the owner calling me back and addressing the circumstances. So that is a good thing and I recommend this place based on the owner taking the time to call me back and addressing the circumstances and situations thank you read more

Great food, great service and wonderful ambiance. This is a place that makes you feel like family when you walk in.

I am on a 30 salads in 30 days in CNY this January. Second stop was the Retreat! Cesar w Chicken and Shrimp. Well done, service with a smile in a classic Liverpool NY setting. read more

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This is a shame, been going here for years and this was the first time that the service was so bad, I had to write a review! From the moment we got in there, everyone was rude!! We had 5 people and their tables sat 4 so we asked to put 2 tables together, they did but was very rude about doing it. Then our waitress came over and the first thing she said was "oh there is only 5 of you, we could have sat you at a regular table! Then she gave me my wife's napkin and silverware to give to her, she was very impatient while taking the order. Every service person was grumpy and looked miserable. We added a soup and another fry 10 minutes after she took the order, which seemed to bother her even more. Never once came back to check on us and we had to flag her down to get the check. TERRIBLE SERVICE as we will never eat there again!!!!! read more

Yes, dinner again at one of our fave Liverpool spots. The Retreat. It never disappoints! I had the chopped chicken cobb salad. Iceberg lettuce topped with diced tomatoes, egg, cucumbers, bacon, blue cheese crumbles and grille chicken, served with garlic bread and I chose ranch dressing. Fresh, crisp, and tasty. HUGE! J had the " Cave Man's Club ". She chose turkey as her meat selection. You can get it with roast beef or ham as well. They must call it the Cave Man because it is HUGE as well! Fries hot and crisp. Fern Zinszer was out tender/server. She's always friendly and on point. It's easy to start up conversations with patrons here. It's a relaxed atmosphere. Or maybe I'm always relaxed! You gotta Check em Out!! read more

The Retreat - Sports Bars Near Me - Liverpool, New York

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The layout is very confusing. There are two doors, two wait-list stations, and they each seemed to have different wait times. I'm not sure why they differed but the left side said 20 min, and the right side said 5 min, and we waited 30 min. There wasn't a drink menu and the waitress didn't know what they served. Chicken wing dip was tasty but there wasn't much of it compared to the bowl of chips and most chips got thrown out. read more

The retreat is a great place to dine in and have a few drinks amongst friends or family. The ambiance is wonderful and the staff are great ! They are professional and friendly. I would definitely recommend the retreat ! read more

This is definitely one of my favorite businesses to go to when I visit Syracuse. Ever since I've starting making visits 3 years ago the food and service has been great. I don't get to come up often, but I do enjoy it when I can. My go to is the french dip sandwich, I know the menu changes, but if it is on there definitely check it out. Pro-tip, you can order fried onions on it and that makes it SO goood. They have other menu items like burgers, fish, sandwiches, potato skins, soups/salads, etc. There inside is really large and the outside has plenty of seating as well. It never seems like they have a lot of staff, so this is usually a wait for food, but nothing crazy! The waiters and waitresses l have encountered have always been attentive and well-mannered. This is a nice staple in Syracuse! read more

I love it here. This is a great lunch and dinner spot. They have plenty of indoor seating and they have an outdoor patio too. I love their salads, wraps, seafood pasta and burgers. I always have delicious and fresh food here. This place has been open for years and it's always fun to stop by. It's convenient to get to and is right in the village. It has great family vibes. I can't wait to stop back in for dinner again soon. read more

To start one waitress trying to take care of 6 tables on the bar side on a busy Saturday night does not work. It took at least 10 minutes for the waitress to stop at our table just to take drink orders. Never once did she come back to see if we needed refills. The food once we received it 45 minutes later was not hot, but luke warm at best, the pasta had no taste even at luke warm. The appetizer dip that we received was burnt around the edges but tasted pretty good. The onion soup we received was not the typical onion soup I have received in the past, barely had any onions in the soup more broth and not much flavor. One part of our order had a house salad that half of it was uneatable due to the core or stem of lettuce bunch that was in the salad. Lastly, the menu has changed and several of your popular dishes you had were removed. For a place that we have gone to many times over the years, this was truly a disappointment. read more

This place is pretty much always busy and with so many age ranges! They have a nice, large menu and the food is pretty consistent. There is a lot of seating both inside and outside. This is a great place to go with someone you might not know as well because there is so much American fare on the menu. Personal favorite: roast beef pretzelwich which comes with a horseradish cream sauce ~ tasty and delicious every time. read more

I was at the Retreat for the first last week after two years away, due to the pandemic. I went with a group and we enjoyed a tasty, filling lunch. The only negative is that it took too long to get our check after we were done. Today I was back for another Reuben on St. Patrick's Day. My lunchmate has the salmon salad. Both were delicious and filling. The salad is enough for two meals. The server was attentive and we got our check quickly. Definitely a busy day for them and they were all keeping up with the flow! read more

The Retreat - Salmon salad - Sports Bars Near Me - Liverpool, New York

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I had checked on a website to find out who had the best french fries in town. Well, the retreat did not only be the best, it out shone every other place. I was not that hungry so I had a bowl of chili and a dish of french fries. I just cannot say enough about how satisfying the small lunch was. read more

I don't know why I took my friend so long to take me. I loved it. My granddaughter loved it. The food was fresh. The fish was delicious. The staff was friendly and kind to my granddaughter, conveniently located wonderful parking, great ambience, great people who attended the place I can't wait to go back. read more

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Menu is outstanding. Staff did a fabulous job. Great setting outdoors or indoors. Everyone in our party loved their meal.

The service was very bad. At first we couldn't fine a place to sit down, we also couldn't fine a hostess to sit us and was walking around for a little trying to find one. When we finally found a hostess the section she was sitting was "full". It looked like they were very understaffed and overcrowded. In my party we had 2 people who struggle to get around and they were very impatient. Over all I don't really recommend this restaurant until they are more staffed. read more

We stopped in sit down to eat they were semi busy. I had 5 waitresses walk by me as I was waiting nobody paid attention to me until I stepped forward ahead of the sign. Then I was talked to waitress said we could be put on a waiting list when there was like 3 open tables open that I could see so we sat in bar area and waited for the bartender to come take our order and she never came over at all . Very rude to not be acknowledged whatsoever just awful read more

Amazing staff and terrific food! Beer is REALLY good also! Had a great server who was from Tennessee.

We stopped in here for a quick dinner before heading home from the state fair. We were surprised with how big the restaurant was with 2 large patio areas outside, 2 separate dining areas separated by a huge bar area which also included a handful of high top tables. We walked in on a Thursday night at 7 and the place was full! We were greeted promptly by a waitress who asked us to hang out for just a minute while they cleaned up from a large group (separate some tables). We went to the bar and grabbed a couple of drinks while we waited and took in all the sights. The bar is very tavern-like with rustic wood touches, a ton of TVs that had sports on, some very eclectic signs and troll dolls carved in surrounding the bar. It had a very warm and welcoming feel to the place. Truly like no other place I've been to. They really embrace the pride of Syracuse with their school color Orange all through out the place. The menu itself has a ton of delicious food options that vary from Pub style faire to burgers to fish dinners to Italian dishes. Pierogis were even on the menu as an appetizer. There were many options for anyone to choose from. We ordered the following- Pretzels w/ beer cheese, whiskey bacon burger, rodeo chicken wrap and the fish dinner. We all enjoyed our meals! The only reason I will give this a 4 star is simply because the price. You don't get a full meal for the price.. I've never been to a restaurant where you have to pay $3.25 for French fries to be added to your burger or sandwich. The sandwich's and burgers do not come with a side at all. My mom had suggested maybe we split an order of fries but when I saw the fries on the table next to us I laughed because it was no bigger than a cup portion. Overall it was a great place to stop in and eat I highly recommend checking it out! The patio looks lovely for a summer night with some live music!! read more

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